Ben Affleck picks Robert Pattinson over pal Matt Damon for The Odyssey acting honors

“When they talk about a brave performance, Ben goes, ‘You had the benefit of all of the might and power of Christopher Nolan storytelling at your back’ and I went, ‘Yeah,’ The Hollywood Reporter says Damon deadpanned to a Los Angeles screening audience on Saturday night. “And he goes, ‘Rob had all of the weight and heft and power of Christopher Nolan’s storytelling coming down on him. And the way he did it, it was like watching a guy run into an avalanche.” Affleck was of course referring to current Batman and potential James Bond Robert Pattinson’s work as The Odyssey‘s primary antagonist Antinous, who (spoiler for a 3,000 or so year old poem) loses out to Damon’s Odysseus in the quest for Queen Penelope’s hand. 

Damon continued to explain Affleck’s admiration for someone onscreen who was not him, quoting, “Any moment that he could be more cowardly, more hateable, you could see his wheels turning. ‘How could I make this even worse for myself?’ And it was so fun to watch because he’s such a dynamic actor and so interesting.” Damon, appearing alongside costars Tom Holland, John Leguizamo, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Himesh Patel, and Elliot Page took Affleck’s potential slight in good humor, with various fellow actors assuring Damon that he was really good in the box office blockbuster, too.